Airbus and EADS Casa have chosen Hamilton Sundstrand (Hall 5, B19-20) to provide four more major systems for the Airbus Military A400M transport aircraft.
HS will supply the secondary electrical power distribution centre (SEPDC); trimmable horizontal stabilizer actuator (THSA); auxiliary power unit (APU); and ram-air turbine (RAT). In July 2003, Ratier-Figeac of France, a business unit of HS, was chosen to supply the FH386 eight-bladed propeller system, and another subsidiary, Microtecnica of Italy, was selected to supply the propeller control module.
The value of all these systems under current order quantities exceeds $1 billion, with potential total programme value of between $1.3 billion and $1.5 billion. Airbus Military is leading a multinational consortium to develop the large, four-engine, military transport aircraft. First flight of the A400M is scheduled for 2008 with deliveries beginning in 2009.
Airbus Military forecasts sales of more than 400 aircraft. Firm orders for a total of 192 aircraft have been received from Germany, France, Spain, Britain, Turkey, Belgium, Luxembourg and South Africa.
Development work for the SEPDC will be shared by Hamilton Sundstrand Electric Systems, Rockford, Illinois, and its subsidiary, HS Elektronik Systeme in Nrdlingen, Germany. The SEPDC will provide switching and protection for the aircraft's 1,000 electrical loads using solid-state power controller technology from Nrdlingen.
In addition, the SEPDC will provide control of up to 15 utility functions. This programme will build on the many Hamilton Sundstrand secondary distribution and utility management prog-rammes in use or under development for military and commercial aircraft.
The ram air turbine (RAT) emergency power system is contracted with EADS Casa, Madrid, Spain, and will be developed by Hamilton Sundstrand's Electric Systems business. The RAT system will provide 45kVA of electrical power to critical loads in the event of an all-power-out situation. This RAT application adds to the many systems provided to EADS/Airbus and other commercial and military customers worldwide.
Stabilizer
Ratier-Figeac, a long-time Airbus supplier, will provide the trimmable horizontal stabilizer actuator (THSA). The entirely fly-by-wire THSA will control the position of the tail plane through the flight control computer. At 1.5m (5ft) in length, it will be one of the largest and most powerful THSAs ever built for a military aircraft. Ratier-Figeac is producing the THSA in collaboration with another Hamilton Sundstrand unit, Microtecnica of Italy.
The APU, to be supplied by Hamilton Sundstrand Power Systems of San Diego, California, will be a derivative of the reliable APS 3200 unit, which is the standard fit APU for the Airbus single-aisle programme. The A400M APU, mounted in an upper wing fairing, will provide pneumatic power for starting the main engines and will also provide electric and pneumatic power for operation of aircraft systems and air conditioning when the engines are not running.
The FH386 propeller system will enable the aircraft to cruise at Mach 0.72. Each propeller, with eight composite blades, will be 5.3m in diameter.
Source: Flight Daily News
